Paula Patton, a Woman We Love who is perhaps best known for tackling another Woman We Love, Lea Seydoux, in the latest installment of Mission: Impossible, turns out to know as much about soft drinks as she does about outshining Tom Cruise. Which is to say, a significant amount. She's currently helping Pepsi launch its latest product, Pepsi Next. So we got on the phone with her the other day to solicit some advice for the cola-drinking man.

ESQUIRE.COM: Would you consider yourself an authority on drinking soda?

PAULA PATTON: Well, yeah. A little bit. I love cola. So when Pepsi came to me and asked if I'd be a representative for this new cola, I said, "I'm going to have to try it first." And I tried it, and I loved it.

ESQ: How do you think a man should drink his soda?

PP: I gotta say, I find it sexy for a man to drink it out of the can or the bottle. Drinking out of a straw and a cup — aahh. It's up to you, but I find it sexier to drink it straight from the can.

PP: It's a little dainty, but I'm not against it. It depends on how you drink it from a straw. If you're doing little sips, I'm looking at you a little questionably. But if you're doing big gulps, we've got something to talk about.

ESQ: Okay. I've got to say, I'm from Detroit, so I grew up calling it —

PP: Oh, you're drinking straight from the can if you're from Detroit. Come on.

ESQ: Yeah, just like that. But I always called it pop growing up.

PP: That's right.

ESQ: What should I be calling it? Soda or pop or soda pop?

PP: I don't know if there's one right way. It's whatever you prefer. My mom calls it pop, too.

ESQ: Oh, she does? Good. I like your mom, then.

PP: I'll tell her. She likes younger men.

ESQ: I have a friend who drinks a Big Gulp of Diet Pepsi every morning on the way to work instead of coffee. Do you think that's a bit much?

PP: I'm not one to say. If that's what gets him going, so be it.

ESQ: I think it's a little much, but I'll go with that.

PP: Who am I to judge?

ESQ: So what are you eating with your Pepsi Next? A burger and fries?

PP: Yes. Obviously, I have to try to be healthy, but I love all kinds of food, and I love cola. And I'm not gonna give it up. But that's what was exciting for me about Pepsi Next. I thought, this is something that I want to promote, because we clearly have a problem with obesity in America, especially with children. They love to have their pop, and it still tastes the same, but it's 60 percent less sugar and 60 calories. That's a way we can make these small inroads into a healthier population.

ESQ: And a man can feel self-assured drinking a diet cola?

PP: A man can. And — I don't know if I'm going to get in big trouble for saying this — but I think it's sexier if they drink Pepsi Next.

ESQ: Is that right?

PP: Yeah. Live on the edge a little bit. Get a little bit of sugar. Get the cola you used to love.

ESQ: Not to change the subject, but I enjoy cocktails and booze every now and again. Do you prefer mixing your cola with anything in particular for a more grownup drink?

PP: I'm not gonna lie. I enjoy alcohol on occasion. I have a feeling that Pepsi Next mixes well with a lot of alcoholic beverages. But let's just leave that alone. I'm just gonna say it tastes good with ice.